Guinea Pigs bonding.

[Evanmoo2]

Ok I have my female pig Mittens for awhile now and she had a sister but sadly passed away. I was given a male guinea pig, Bolt (was told he was a female) At first they was getting along but Bolt suddenly started to nip Mits. it’s not all the time they can lay in the same cage for awhile without conflicts. But today I adopted a young one name chi. The bonding was going great till Bolt start to nip Mits. I know I shouldn’t break up the fight but I wasn’t thinking at the time and tried to pick up Mits and Both bit my fingers. I’ve tried to find a way to stop the nipping but separating and reintroducing doesn’t seem to make any changes. Is there away I could fix it?

 

[Wiebke]

Ok I have my female pig Mittens for awhile now and she had a sister but sadly passed away. I was given a male guinea pig, Bolt (was told he was a female) At first they was getting along but Bolt suddenly started to nip Mits. it’s not all the time they can lay in the same cage for awhile without conflicts. But today I adopted a young one name chi. The bonding was going great till Bolt start to nip Mits. I know I shouldn’t break up the fight but I wasn’t thinking at the time and tried to pick up Mits and Both bit my fingers. I’ve tried to find a way to stop the nipping but separating and reintroducing doesn’t seem to make any changes. Is there away I could fix it?

Hi and welcome!

Is Bolt de-sexed? If not, they should never be together in the first place. Please always double-check the gender before you put new piggies together. Mis-sexing is sadly very common.
Illustrated Sexing Guide

However, it sounds very much that the bond has not worked out. There is nothing you can do about that; when the chips are down, piggies either want to be together or not. The fact that both have bitten you, means that they are both highly stressed out (instinctive defence biting) and not at all happy with your attempts at throwing them together when they have decided that they don't suit.
Mixed gender piggies often fail in the post-bond two weeks dominance phase when both of them want to be top and neither is giving way. Unfortunately, you cannot change the personality and outlook of a piggy. Two dominant personalities won't gel.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)

You can keep them in adjoining cages so they can interact through the bars. Please be aware that Mittens may be pregnant and that you have to treat her as such for the next 10 weeks until you know for sure whether she is or not. You won't see anything for 7-8 weeks, nor will a vet, so it is going to be a long wait. Depending on where she was in her estrus cycle during the time with Bolt, she may have had a lucky escape; considering that about every fifth birth ends with the death of babies and/or the mother - and that is with the best of care.
Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides